Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Share Cropping

Sharecropping has a long history. It’s history is not only unique in American agriculture but in other parts of the world as well. The term sharecropping describes a system of agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land. Historically, this kind of arrangement went on in many different cultures and was in effect in Biblical times. You can see this arrangement described in some of the stories that Jesus told. For example, He told a parable about a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to others, and went on a journey. At harvest time the owner of the vineyard sent a slave to receive some of the produce. His slave was beaten and sent away empty-handed. He sent many other slaves who were treated in much the same way, some of them beaten, and some were killed. Finally he sent his son, who he hoped would be respected. But they killed him in order to steal the inheritance of the vineyard. The point of the parable is that the owner of the vineyard would take drastic action to protect his investment and his inheritance. He would take the vineyard from the ones who were not honorable and give it to others because he cared about the harvest. And he cared about the vineyard.
The kingdom of God is planted by a planter and a planner. God cares about His kingdom and He cares about the harvest. In our message today we get a sense of what is on the heart of God as Jesus continues in the Gospel of Mark to illustrate the teaching of the Sower who came to sow. We learned that the seed of the gospel will bear fruit in a life that has been prepared to receive God’s word. That life will look like a lamp that shines forth wherever it is placed in the darkness. Today’s lesson teaches us that if we have received the gospel we not only have a responsibility to shine, we have a privilege to share. We share in the planting and harvesting that God Himself is bringing about. Listen to the word of the Lord.

And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

Growth in the Kingdom of God is a partnership venture.

I. GOD IS THE CONTROLLING, OR MANAGING, PARTNER. (26)

…the Kingdom of God…

The Kingdom of God Originates with God. God owns the field. God supplies the seed. Nothing is sown of an eternal nature until God provides the place for the harvest and the seed that grows. The seed comes from a supplier that can be trusted. Man does not supply it. He is only given seed to sow. Kingdom seeds come from the King and we become partners in the venture when God grants us the privilege to share in His work. We do not choose to share in the planting. God does the choosing.

II. MAN IS GRANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOW. (26)

…is like a man who casts seed upon the soil…

God gives the seed to the sower. The work of the sower is to sow the seed. God chooses us to be about the business of sowing in the Kingdom of God. The man that casts seed upon the soil of the kingdom knows that he is not responsible for its growth. He is only invited to be a part of the experience. Nothing is grown that is not sown. Planting with a hope for the harvest is the best we can do. Sometimes we plant with expectation but are often disappointed. Other creatures can steal the seed or eat the plants or the weather can be our nemesis. Often we can be the biggest threat to the growth of what is planted by our carelessness, ignorance, or neglect. So we sow with a hope for the harvest. But when God is in control of kingdom growth He has an expectation beyond our hope. God is planning for His kingdom to come to fruition. God expects the harvest to come because He is in control of the growth.

III. THE GROWTH IS INEXPLICABLE BUT NOT UNEXPECTED. (27)

…and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, the seed sprouts up and grows…how, he himself does not know…

The sower cannot explain how the seed grows. He only knows that it does. The sower knows that it is nothing he is doing makes the seed grow. He lives out his life after sowing. He goes about the business of sleeping and waking. And the fruit grows even at night in growing season. Often we don’t know what we have sown until we see the fruit. Faithful sowers are faithful to sow. He has done all he could and all that he should. Faithful Growers grow. God is a faithful grower. It is God who appoints the seed to grow in a specific place and time. Growing season for Kingdom growth depends on the seasons that God ordains in God’s timing. Unplanted seed does not grow. The best place for growth is in prepared soil. It doesn’t matter that I have seed stored away for emergencies. Unless it is planted it will not grow. The word of God is planted in our lives for the need yet unforeseen. The kingdom growth that bears fruit is foreseen by God. Satan demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat. But Jesus had foreseen this kind of testing and the faith of Peter would prevail. You may be here today relatively unscathed by the troubles and trials that come upon some of us. Thank the Lord for His mercy. And thank Him that the word of God will not be wasted and He knew when you would need His word of comfort and courage the most. The seed must be placed in fertile ground. We who are sowing the seed of the kingdom do not know how it grows. We only know that it does.
God expects a harvest. Remember, the Planter is a Planner. He does not plant without purpose. God knows what harvest is coming and where it is planted and He is looking for fruit. He expects to see it. God expects fruitful disciples to make fruitful disciples. Do you expect a great harvest here at Mount Olivet? Can any good fruit come from here? God has an eye on the harvest. Are growing and sowing? God expects a harvest. And He will not be disappointed.

IV. KINGDOM GROWTH COMES FROM KINGDOM GROUND. (28)

…the soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.

Good ground produces good growth. The soil that is prepared makes the difference in the growth. Just because an onion is labeled Vidalia Onion does not mean it is a Vidalia onion. True Vidalia onions grow within a certain area mandated by Georgia state law in the vicinity of Vidalia, Georgia. It is something about the soil in that region that makes the onion unique and gives it its sweet flavor. In much the same way kingdom people can only grow in certain locations. They must be grown in God’s kingdom. You will be hindered from bearing kingdom fruit while you are living in unholy places, rooted in unholiness. Just because we call ourselves Christian does not mean we are kingdom people. Just because we are church members does not mean we are truly kingdom people. We are the fruit of the gospel. We are the plants of the kingdom that are fruit bearing and are to be reproducing as disciples. For us to have the kingdom growing within us we must have roots in the kingdom. We cannot have our lives rooted in adulterous relationships and claim to be faithful to our spouse. Evil fruit will grow from evil roots. Kingdom growth comes from kingdom ground. Good ground is sown by a good God. God grows good fruit.
A receptive and redeemed heart is the fertile ground of God’s kingdom.
After the sowing, the soil controls the growing. Our hearts will control whether a reproductive harvest is possible. In the right kind of heart and in the right kind of season the harvest manifests itself. It creates a desire for others to be a part of and share in this harvest. When our hearts receive God’s word, we are transformed into people who want to share God’s love. This transformation often comes by stages; the blade, the head the mature grain in the head like the crop that is being produced. The growth is progressive. Our growth as disciples is progressive as well. This is our burden. To share what has grown in us.

V. MAN’S PART IN KINGDOM GROWTH IS TO PLANT AND HARVEST. (29)

But when the crop permits he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

Kingdom harvest is dependent upon the crop condition and the instruments of harvest. Man plays a significant part in the harvest. But he must wait on the time of the crop and the proper method of harvest. The crop has something to say about the timing of the harvest. Crops have a way of letting you know it is time to harvest. When I have someone ask me about spiritual things I know it is because something is growing there. I must be prepared to engage them and be a part in the planting of the seed of the gospel of the kingdom of God. And I must be ready to know the season of the harvest. I must know how to reap when the crop is ready. The gospel is not a fuzzy series of multiple choice questions where people are giving painless options to follow Jesus and His teachings when they decide the time is right for them. Listen, harvest time is now! The gospel is confrontational. We need to present it in such a way that people are clear that when they decide not to surrender their lives to Christ, they will never bear the fruit of the Kingdom of God in their lives. They will not be a part of God’s harvest. They will be harvested in the kingdom of darkness. The contrast is light and dark. Life and death.
Without God growing His harvest in you, there is something else growing there. Jesus told a parable about end-time harvest. In Matthew 13 He illustrated the teaching of the sower and the seeds with the parable about the wheat and the tares, or the wheat and the weeds. He said the kingdom of God could be compared to a man who sowed wheat in his field and while he was sleeping, the enemy of the kingdom of God sowed weeds. When the weeds were seen growing alongside the wheat the slaves of the landowner wanted to know if they should pull up the weeds. The landowner said no and that the harvest would solve the problem. Both the tares and the wheat would be harvested. But the final destination of both would be different. The weeds were to be bound and burned. The wheat would be gathered to the barn of the owner of the field. Are you wheat or weed in the evidence of what God is growing in you? Do you think and act more like Christ today or more like what the world is growing? There is a harvest coming. We are part of the harvest and we have a part in the harvest.
What makes us a partner is that we have a part. Our part in God’s harvest is living our part. If you are a part of the kingdom, if you are a child of God, God will use you to reach other children of God. Our part is to live like Christ. He is our model. He did not openly sin and encourage others to sin. He said go and sin no more. Stop sinning. It grows things other that godliness. And its end is death of the soul. Bound and burned. Our part is to live like Christ. God allows us to be a partner in the planting and in the reaping. The growth is up to Him.
We share in the benefits of the harvest. First of all, a godly life is a blessed life. To live as a kingdom citizen is to know the blessing of God even in this sinful world. The benefits I have to serve in the planting and reaping of God’s harvest is that I am in partnership with the best partner a man could ever have. I benefit from having a partner I can trust. He will not lie or cheat or keep me in bondage. He sets me free to worship and serve Him. Another benefit of that harvest is to see the miraculous way that God sets people free. He grows the seed of the gospel within them and gives them a new desire for Him and His harvest. He shares the fruits of godliness with us. The world has nothing like these to compare. Listen to what we share in God’s kingdom harvest, otherwise known as the fruits of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)
This passage says that if we belong to Christ Jesus these fruits are not only a part of what God is growing in our lives, they are also beneficial to us and others. This kind of character mirrors what life in God’s kingdom looks like. We look like God. We “image” Him. Now pay attention to the first word of the passage. The word “But” signals a contrast of something we should be looking for. This Holy Spirit fruit is contrasted with something else. It’s a manifestation of our flesh. It’s what grows out of the natural human being, not the supernatural one. It’s what the world produces. Take a look at the following passage:
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Which kingdom is growing in you? Which harvest will you share?

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